The History of Thanksgiving Celebrations, Starting with British Immigrants and Native Americans

Thanksgiving is celebrated every last Thursday in November, which this year falls on November 28th. This celebration has been a national holiday in the United States since 1863. Families typically gather and feast on turkey, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. Family members who are away from home return home. This moment is the busiest day of the year for airports.

Behind this festive celebration lies a long history of Thanksgiving, celebrated as an expression of gratitude for all the blessings received that year. According to Britannica, Americans generally believe that Thanksgiving originated from a harvest festival in 1621 celebrated by the English colonists (Pilgrims) in Plymouth and the Wampanoag people, a Native American people. This celebration is said to symbolize the peaceful unity between Native Americans and European settlers in the fall during that year's harvest.

The Arrival of the Pilgrims to the United States

According to The Collector, the Pilgrims came to America aboard the famous Mayflower to establish a community in the New World. After a difficult and grueling 66 day voyage, the ship landed near the tip of Cape Cod, before heading for Massachusetts Bay.

Their first winter was so harsh that only half of the original settlers survived. The remaining settlers came ashore in March 1621 and were warmly welcomed by the locals. They were taught how to survive in the wild, fishing, growing corn and squash, and collecting sap from maple trees.

The First Thanksgiving

The settlers were successful in farming, and the first corn harvest took place in November of that year. To express their gratitude, Pilgrim Governor William Bradford hosted a feast between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native Americans, an event recognized as the nation's first Thanksgiving feast. The settlers and the natives then lived side by side.

However, some historians argue that the Plymouth settlers were not the first to host a Thanksgiving feast. Some believe the first Thanksgiving took place in Florida in 1565, when Spanish settlers shared a meal with the Timucuan Native Americans.

Becoming a National Holiday

Throughout the American Revolution, various Thanksgiving style events were held to celebrate victorious battles. This celebration became a cultural marker of gratitude during the Revolutionary War, with people gathering and expressing gratitude. Meanwhile, in 1789, George Washington led the US government's first Thanksgiving proclamation, calling it a day of thanksgiving to mark the end of the war and the ratification of the Constitution.

Thanksgiving Day did not become an official holiday until President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it in 1863. During tensions between communities in the mid 19th century, Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the popular magazine Godey's Lady's Book, campaigned for Thanksgiving Day to promote unity. Sarah, known as the Thanksgiving Mother, eventually gained the support of President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln declared a national Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated every last Thursday in November.

Among the various versions of the history of this celebration, many critics consider Thanksgiving a controversial event. They believe it serves to gloss over the brutal conflicts faced by Native Americans during the early colonial era.

Thanksgiving is celebrated not only in the United States but also in the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as in Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and India.